


Midnight Desert Interlude

by zuppi



Series: Life is what happens... [1]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Awkward Romance, F/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:08:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22501486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zuppi/pseuds/zuppi
Summary: What happened as Callum and Rayla waited for the sun to rise in the Midnight Desert Oasis.
Relationships: Callum & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Series: Life is what happens... [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1700521
Comments: 16
Kudos: 149





	Midnight Desert Interlude

They both sit facing out into the desert. 

Callum sits cross legged, picking at his dirty and damaged trousers. They were made for palace life and are not faring well on their journey.

Rayla looks away from him, hugging her knees. She feels her cheeks burn and she’s happy for the cover of night. She knows she should concentrate on the plan for retrieving Zym but her mind keeps wandering to what happened by the lakeside.

She is such an idiot. Of course, he doesn’t have feelings for her. He had always shown himself to be kind and caring and she just fooled herself into thinking that meant he felt something more.

He thought of her as a friend only.

He said all of those things because he was a good friend.

Her best friend.

And really, she should be grateful for that.

What human would ever consider even being friends with an elf?

And he was a prince. He had servants and lived in a castle. That was the life he was going back to once they got Zym to his mother.

What had she really thought would happen?

That they would live happily ever after?

This wasn’t a fairy story...

But she loves him.

Is in love with him.

She can finally admit it to herself.

Somewhere, on this rambling journey she has fallen in love with him and... he doesn’t love her back.

And that’s no-one’s fault.

But it doesn’t mean it hurts any less.

After being banished from the Silvergrove she thought at least she’d still have him, but his entire life is in Katolis. This journey is just a detour. Something that will be a footnote in the story of his life.

Something interesting and exciting he'll tell his human children about some day as he lives comfortably in his castle far, far away from here.

And she will... do what?

There was nowhere for her to go now.

When he goes back to Katolis she would be all alone.

She is going to miss him so much...

She feels her throat close up and the familiar sting of tears. She blinks rapidly to try and keep herself from crying. She doesn’t want to wipe her face and alert him to the fact she’s weeping.

Again.

It’s bad enough he caught her crying over everything else, she doesn’t want him to see her crying over him.

Doesn’t want him to sit down and quietly and kindly explain how amazing she is but that he just doesn’t think of her in that way.

“Rayla"

He calls her name and she hates how softly he’s speaking to her. How caring and considerate he sounds.

“You should get some sleep.” She’s proud of how she manages to keep her voice from cracking.

“I’m ok.” He shifts a little closer to her.

They haven’t had a distance like this between them since the first days of traveling together.

It seems a lifetime ago.

She already misses his comforting presence, but she should get used to this.

When he returns to Katolis in a few days she’ll be all alone. Best start adjusting now.

“You need your energy for tomorrow.” She can’t look over at him, continues to stare out into the desert. “We have no idea what we’re going to run into.”

“What about you?” From the sound of his voice, he has turned to fully look at her.

“Moonshadow Elves don’t need as much sleep as the rest of you.”

Humans. Other elves.

He sighs.

She knows that sigh. It means he doesn’t believe her.

He doesn’t argue with her, but he doesn’t move to lie down for sleep.

They continue to sit in silence and after a while she notices that his head is drooping. Despite his best efforts he is falling asleep. He has his head resting in his hands. His neck will be killing him when he wakes up.

Yesterday, she would have simply strolled over to him, touched him on the shoulder and insisted he lie down properly and rest.

She can’t right now. She doesn’t want to feel the gentle heat from his skin or the soft touch of his hair.

The Shadowpaw pads over to her and nuzzles her face. Rayla is grateful for his warm embrace. She buries her face in his furry neck and sighs. Before she can stop herself, the tears begin to slip down her cheeks.

She just needs tonight to get through this, and she’ll be better tomorrow.

Tonight, she is going to allow herself the indulgence of falling apart. Of being sad and hurt and... heartbroken.

And tomorrow she will get up and be strong and fast and brave. Tomorrow she will rescue Zym and they will continue their mission. They will return Zym to his mother. They will do their part to bring peace to their warring nations.

Tomorrow she will be strong.

But right now, she’s just a girl who kissed the boy she loves ... and he didn’t kiss her back.


End file.
